Now I'm trying to figure out how to classify reactants as either reducing agents, oxidizing agents, or neither. More information below.

Question

mendicant_bias · Answer

"For the given reactions, classify the reactants as the reducing agent, oxidizing agent, or neither."

$$\sf F_{2}+H_{2}\rightarrow 2HF,$$$$\sf 2Mg+O_{2} \rightarrow 2MgO$$

mendicant_bias · Answer

@Hoslos , I may not need help, I'm reading about this right now, but just mentioning the problem.

mendicant_bias · Answer

Yeah, I'm looking at this and I'm not sure how I should do this; I read the description on oxidizing and reducing agents and I'm a little confused about...

mendicant_bias · Answer

Yeah, I just don't see how the oxidation states of the things involved would change, for instance, the second equation. Wait, that maybe makes sense...

Natural elements always have an oxidation state of zero, right? So 2Mg has an oxidation state of zero, and O_2 by itself has an oxidation state of zero as well on the LHS of the equation?

mendicant_bias · Answer

(And on the RHS, they change, and the RHS makes clear which is the reducing agent and which is the oxidizing agent?)

anonymous · Answer

Perfect! So for instance on the LHS, Mg was 0 and on the right, was +2, it lost electrons, therefore it is a reducing agent.

mendicant_bias · Answer

Alright, yeah, that makes sense. Thank you! Moving on to another problem shortly.